I'm currently applying for co-op jobs (internships) and while trawling the university job board I've seen many positions requiring big data this or machine learning that.

What's not clear to me is why companies who don't seem to have any need for machine learning team (i.e. a subscription box company) are looking to hire one.

Surely part of this can be pinned down to the hype associated with ML that may well die out, but the proliferation of these tools doesn't bode well for Maciej's dream of a weird, creative, and interesting internet.